Oil-purifying means for turbines, etc.



May 6, 1930. F. R. c BQYD' 1,757,289

OIL PURIFYING' MEANS FOR TUHBINES, :ETC

Filed Feb. 24, 1926 A/VU/P/VEYS Patented May 6, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IBEDEBIG B. O. BOYD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO THE DE LAVAL V SEPABA'IOB COIIIPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY OIL-PUBIIYING MEANS FOR TUBBIZNES, ETC.

Application filed February 24, 1926. Serial No. 90,289.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple means for continuously purifying lubricating oil that is maintained in circulation through the bearings of a turbine, in-

ternal combustion engine, or other engine or motor.

It is known to provide means for centrifu'gally purifying such oil. Ordinarily a drain tank or settling tank is arranged o endless oil circulatin system and oil is bypassed from such tan through a centrifuge and is thence returned to the tank, or to another tank in the system. It is also known tolocate such a centrifuge within a casing carried by the engine an to drive the centrifuge from the engine shaft, the oil being pumped from the tank to the centrifuge an thence forced into and through channels to the bearings.

My invention embodies the known feature of a centrifuge located within a casing formed in or on the turbine or other engine and driven from the shaft.

My invention, however, involves other important features necessary to efliciency, some of which seem to be essential to successful operativeness and all of which are either necessary to, or promotive of, a high degree of efliciency. Such essential and preferable features may be enumerated as follows:

The oil to be centrifuged is led from the bearings, or from the oil su ply thereto to the centrifuge and the puri ed oil is led to the oil reservoir or tank in the endless circulato system. No pump is required other than t e regular pump for pumping oil through the system. Provision is made for the distribution of the oil uniformly throughout the peripheral part of the centrifuge so substantial proportion of the heavier constituents (water and other impurities) with the oil. Provision is made for insuring the building upof the peripheral wall of the heavier constituents before the discharge of the same from the centrifuge, thereby insuring against the discharge of any of the oil with the heavier constituents. In other words, provision is made for thorough separation before release of the separated constituents and for in the is shown in the accompanying drawing .end of the turbine she as to avoid the likelihood of discharging a insuring against any of the oil being carried ofl with the water, etc. The casing in which the centrifugal purifier is contained is provided with a partition, thus dividing the casing into two chambers, in one of which the centrifuge is mainly contained and into which the water, etc., is discharged, the oil being discharged into the other and smaller chamber. The invention does not contemplate the purification of all the oil in circuit, some of the oil flowing from the hearings to the oil reservoir and some of it being by-passed from the bearings, or the oil supply thereto, to and through the centrifu a1 purifiers.

A preferred embo iment of the invention in which the purifying means 1S arranged at the end of a turbine shaft, the drawin showing the end bearing of a turbine and t e purifying means in vertical section.

The frame a carryingt the bearing for the b is provided with a port (1 communicating with an oil supply pipe 0. The shaft b has a peripheral groove e that registers with ort d and receives oil therefrom. The oil In ricates the bearing b flowing laterally in opposite directions unti near t e opposite on s of the bearin it flows into an annular groove f in the fearing. Thence the oil flows through a ort 9 into an oil reservoir it formed in the hollow base of the bearing frame. Reservoir It has an outlet '5 from which the oil is pumped into the oil supply pipe 0 and into other similar ipes for conveying oil to other bearings. e oil from such other bearings finds its way into a pipe 7', which returns the oil to the reservoir. There is nothing novel in the oil circulating system.

The end of frame'a is extended to form an open-ended hollow casing k. Within the casing, near its outer end, 18 a artition m having a central 0 ening and a anged edge m, which is con ned against an annular shoulder on the inside of casing is by means of a flange n on an end cap or closure n. The closure n is applied to the casing is by a screw-threaded engagement between the outer wall of flange n and the inner wall of the casing.

The centrifugal purifier bowl comprises a base 0 and a body p, p. The base 0 has a hub 1' and a hub extension .9 which is screwthreadedinto a recess in the center of the end of shaft 1). When extension 8 is fully threaded into this recess, hub 1- abuts against the end of shaft 1).

The body of the purifier bowl comprises a peripheral wall p and an end or top 1) having a wide central opening. Within and secured to the bowl, arid relatively near to its base, and extending parallel to and spaced from the base, is a distributing disc t. The disc is imperforate and is of somewhat less diameter than the inner diameter of the bowl so as to leave an annular opening between its periphery .and the bowl wall.

Within and secured to the bowl, and relatively near its top p and spaced therefrom, is a top disc u having aneck 12. Disc u is imperforate and is of somewhat less diameter than the inner diameter of the bowl so as to leave an annular opening between its peripheral edge and the bowl wall. Neck *0 extends through the wide central opening in the bowl top 11 and also through the central opening in the partition m. The central opening in top 17' is of substantially greater diameter than neck '0, so as to provide an unobstructed annular passage around the neck between it and the bowl top. Neck '0 has as close a fit in partition m as is permissible, bearing in mind that one member is rotatable and the other stationary.

Shaft 19 is provided with an axially extendin channel w, which is prolonged throug the bowl hub and base and communicates with the distributing space within the bowl between its base 0 and distributing disc t. By means of a radial channel w, some of the oil fed into groove e is by-passed to the purifying bowl. Channel to may be prolonged along the length of the shaft and may communicate with other bearings, thereby connecting any bearing or all bearings with the purifying means.

By means of partition m, casing k is divided into a large compartment :22 enclosing the bowl and spaced therefrom on all sides and communicating with the peripheral part of the bowl, and a small end compartment y com- Inunicating with the central part of the bowl through the neck 1). A pipe 2 connects compartment y with reservoir h, and a pipe g acts as a drain for compartment :0.

Oil passing toward the bearing a will divide into two streams, one passing between v the shaft b and the bearing and the other flowing throu h the central channel w in the shaft and bow hub to the interior of the bowl- 0, p, p. Distributing disc t compels all the oil to flow to the peripheral part of the bowl.

forced toward, or remain at and near, the peripher and will displace the oil inwardly toward t e bowl center. Owing to the disc u, a peripheral wall of water will build up within the bowl and insure against the outflow of any oil with the water. The Water, after it has accumulated and formed a thick peripheral zone, will be forced around the inside periphery of the bowl top 72' and into the water chamber'm of casing la. The oil that is displaced toward the center of the bowl flows out the neck '0 into the oil chamber y of casing is and thence escapes, through pipe 2, to reservoir 72..

Having now fully described my invention,

what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. In a lubricating oil system for turbines and other engines, the combination with a shaft bearing, a shaft turning in said bearing and having an oil channel communicating with the bearing, a centrifugal purifier carried on the shaft and communicating with said channel, means, including a reservoir, adapted to supply oil to the shaft bearing, and a casin enclosing the purifier; of a partition in said casing, the purifier having an outlet communicating with the central part of the purifier and with the casing on one side of the partition and an outlet communicating with the peripheral part of the purifier and with the casing on the other side ofthe partition, and means affording a passage for purified oil between the caslnp on the first named side of the'partition and the reservoir.

2. In a lubricating system for turbines and other engines, the combination with a shaft bearing, a shaft turning therein and having an oil channel communicating with the bearing, means to suppl oil to the shaft bearin a centrifugal puri er carried on the sha and a casing enclosing the purifier; of a partition in said casing dividing it into two chambers, the body of the purifier being conother engines, the combination with a shaft bearing, a shaft turning therein and havin an oil channel communicating with the. bearing, means to supply oil to the shaft beaifing, a centrifugal purifying bowl carried on the end of the shaft and having an oil'inlet in one end communicating with the oil channel in the shaft, and a casing enclosing the bowl;

of a partition in the casing on one side of which the bowl is positioned, a distributor in the purifier relatively near its base and adapted to convey oil from said inlet to the periphery of the bowl,'and a disc relatively near the other end of the purifier having a neck extending through and spaced from a discharge orifice in the bowl and extending also through the partition.

5. In an oil purif ing system for turbines and other engines, t e combination with the main shaft, a stationary frame carrying a shaft bearing, an oil reservoir, and means to circulate oil from the reservoir throu h said bearing and back to the reservoir; 0 a byass for oil comprisin a channel extending ongitudinally wlthin t e shaft, a casing carried by the shaft bearing, a pipe connecting the casing and reservoir, and a centrifugal purifier on the end of the shaft within the casing and having an oil inlet communicating with said channel and a purified oil outlet communicating with said casing.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set In hand, at Trenton, New J ersey, on this 10th da of Februa 1926.

FRE ERIC R. BOYD. 

